Belgium were forced to settle for a point in their opening 2026 World Cup match but coach Rudi Garcia praised his players’ resilience and squad depth after a hard-fought draw with Egypt.

The Red Devils shared the spoils in Group G despite falling behind early. Egypt took the lead in the 20th minute through a superb strike from Emam Ashour in Seattle. 

Garcia’s side responded positively, however, and restored parity midway through the second half when Mohamed Hany turned the ball into his own net under pressure from substitute Romelu Lukaku.

The equaliser highlighted the impact of the bench, as Lukaku had only just been introduced. Belgium have now gone three World Cup matches without a win (two draws and one defeat), matching the number of winless games they experienced across their previous 15 World Cup fixtures combined, in which they recorded 12 victories.

Despite the slow start to the tournament, Garcia expressed satisfaction with his team’s character. 

He said the opening match of a World Cup was always difficult, particularly against one of Africa’s strongest sides like Egypt. 

The coach added that the most important factor was that his players had stayed in the contest. 

He noted that they had managed to equalise thanks to a player who came off the bench, underlining the importance of the entire squad.  

The result leaves Belgium with work to do in the group. Garcia must look for ways to make his side play and get results. The good thing however, is that the Belgians are still well placed to progress. 

They will aim to secure their first win of the campaign when they face Iran on Sunday 21 July.